Hydraulic power plant



3 SheetSI-Sheet 1 March 31. 1925.

` R. K. HOLLAND HYDRAULIC Powsa PLANT Fild Nov. 2p. 1922 March 31. 1925. l 1,531,186

R. K; HOLLAND HYDRAULIC POWER PLANT File'd Nov. 20. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 M HOMD w jhm iim H ?.l T, N .W l f w 7 MMI NQ Wha y ....1 P m u f w W b\ w March 31. y1925. 1,531,786

R. K. HOLLAND YDRAULIC POWER PLANT Fld NGV. 20. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 a) W4 l' i Patented Mer. 3l, 1925,

UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAY K. HOLLAND, OF ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO HOLLAND, ACKERMAN & HOLLAND, OF ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, A COPARTNEBSHIP'COMPOSED OF GEORGE E. ACKERMAN, RAY K. HOLLAND, AND HOWARD K. HOLLAND.

HYDRAULIC POWER PLANT.

Application filed November 20, 1922. Serial No. 602,228.

[o all 107mm t may Conce/fin Be it known that I, RAY K. HOLLAND, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ot' Ann Arbor, in the county of lllashtenaw and State ot' Michigan, have invented'certain new and useful Improvements in Hydraulic lover Plants, ot which the Yfollowing is a true and exact specification, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to hydraulic powerplants, most coinn'ionly embodied in hydroelectric plants.

The invention relates particularly to that type ot plant olI the general character set `torth which includes a dam spanning a stream and one or more pen-stocks or turbine-thuncs and draught or discharge pit through which the power-generating water lows to actuate a turbine associated with cach penstock and its draught-pit..

The invention applies particularly to that type of plant ot the particular nature set tort-h in the preceding paragraph wherein a turbine or turbines used, rotate `about vertical or substantially7 vertical axes, for reasons hereinafter particularly set' forth.

rShe particular' objects ot' the invention are:

First: To provide means whereby, at the smallest cost of excavation and construction, the highest degree ot' plant efficiency is obtained.

Second: To provide a structure of the character d'elined in the preceding paragraph wherein the turbine may be disposed at various points relatively to the middle vertical plane of the penstock or turbinethune without a'tlccting its location with respect to the middle vertical plane of' the draught-pit.

Third: To provide a structure of the character hereinbe'fore set forth wherein, by varying the usual relative arrangement ot the thune and draught-pit, the foregoing objects are. attained without sacrifice of any element promoting or tending to promote ei'ilciency in plants of the particular type re` -terred to as ordinarily constructed.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a plan section of one end porpower plant constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a'plan section of -a'single unit plant including a vpe'nstock, lturbine and ldraught-pit.

Figure 3 is -a'vertical transverse section on an enlargedscale on the line 3 3 of Figure 9.

Figure t is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the turbine in a different position relatively to the penstoclr and wherein the latter and the draught pit are `slightly differently arranged relatively to each other.

Figure 5 is a View similar to Figure l showing the entire dam.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figures l and 5 showing a reverse arrangement of penstoc'lrs and draught-pits.

The modern hydraulic power plant comprises a dam spanning a streamer the outlet of a lake o-r other large body of water affording a more or less constant low of water, the power-house being generally mounted in the dam adjacent a bank of the stream or shore of the body of water, and the turbines and water ducts associated therewith being located in the power-house.

As the invention is limited `particularly to the water ducts associated with the turbine or turbines without regard to the particular type or features of construction of the dam and power-house, and further, has

"reference particularly to saidL ducts when associated with a particular type of turbine,

viz., kthat type which rotates on a vertical or substantially vertical axis, the 'following specification will be limited to part o-r parts ofthe struct-ure to which the invention most hriey reviewed.

VIt is well known to those skilled `in the art that the vertical shaft turbine is more eiicient than the yother type above referred to. Certain types or designs of vdraft-tubes CIT associated with the vertical shaft turbine, promote efficiency of the latter.

There are some factors which determine the most desirable location of the turbine in the penstock or turbine-flume in order to secure maximum efficiency, the most important of these factors being the width of said flume, and this in turn is, from the standpoint of economy of construction, determined primarily by the velocities of water in the flume and by the floor-space in the power-house required for the generator or other machine to be actuated by the turbine. In short, the ultimate aim is to secure the maximum plant eliiciency without disturbing what is well known to bethe most economical construction as regards the power-house, which includes the penstock or turbine-flume and draught-pit.

Thus, where the floor-space required for the generator or the like determines that the penstock or turbine-flume shall be as narrow as the permissible velocity in the flume will allow, turbine-efiiciency requires that the turbine shall be located laterally of the middle vertical plane of the penstock or turbine-fiume, and, in the power-plants of this type as heretofore constructed, such location cf the turbine in said penstock required siinilar disposition of the draughttube in the draught-pit; also that the latter be similarly narow and therefore of correspondingly greater depth, and these limitations in many cases prevent the use of most efiicient type of draught-tube.

In cases where powerhouse floor-space requirements determine a sutliciently wide turbine flume to permit the turbine to be disposed in the middle vertical place of said flume (always with reference to the axis of rotation of the turbine) it has not followed nor does it follow, in the construction as heretofore most commonly used, that the draught-pit was of sulicient width to permit the most eliicient type of draughttube to be associated with the turbine without necessitating greater depth and consequently greater cost of excavation and construction than is required for the embodiment of the present invention, this width of the draught-pit being determined heretoforeby the width of the penstock or turbine-flume because economy of construction requires that the discharge end portion of the penstock shall be supported wholly upon the intake end portion of the draughtpit. y

The main factor' determining the permissibility of employing the most eiiicient type of draught-tube, is the width of the draught-pit and the present invention enables the requisite width to be secured not only without increasing the cost of construction or the normal space requirements, but on the contrary, at the same time effecting economy in cost and affording other advantages which are fully set forth hereinafter.

In the drawings are shown a dam (which may be of any suitable type) spanning` a stream. Adjacent one bank of said stream are the penstock or penstocks 2 and draught-pit or draught-pits 3 which constitute parts of the power-house in which the generator or generators d or other' machinery to be driven is or are located, the width of the penstock or turbine-fiume 2, being determined by the Hoor-space in the superstructure of the powerhouse required by the generator or other machine associated with the turbine 5 located in the discharge end-portion of the penstock 2, the side walls of the latter being` parts or supports for the walls of the superstructure of the power-house.

Associated with each turbine 5 is a draught-tube 6 which is disposed in the intake end-portion of the draught or discharge pit 3, all water flowing from the penstock into the draught-pit being obliged to pass through the turbine 5 and its draught-tube 6. rlhe turbine` is connected by means of a vertical shaft 7 with the generator 4, and, as the latter is most commonly employed in hydraulic power-plants, it is needless to refer to other types of machines which might be substituted for the same.

rlhe water flowing through the turbine enters the turbine-head substantially radially from all sides and in order that such flow may be equal from all sides, it is very commonly necessary, in view of the fact that the penstock is relatively narrow, to dispose the turbine laterally oflset 'from the middle vertical plane of the penstock as shown in Figure 2.

Economy of construction-cost requires that the discharge end-portion of the penstock shall be supported directly upon the intake end-portion of the draught-pit and this has heretofore necessitated that the draught-pit be of the same width as the penstock. This, in turn, in all instances where the turbine is laterally o'l'l'set as above pointed out, rc-

sulted in offsetting the draught-tube lat-V erally away from the middle vertical plane of the draught-pit, thus interfering with uniformity of discharge of water from the draught-tube and necessitating greater depth of the draught-pit at greater cost of construction. Ilurthermore, the greater' depth of the draught-pit does not overcome fully its oliset location and does not permit the use of the most enicient typo of draughtt'ube, whereas a wider and sh allower draughtpit in which the draught-tube is located midway between the side walls, does permit the use of the most efficient type of draughttube and effects economy in cost of excavation. Consequently, the highest plant efiOO llt)

ticiency is obtainable where the width of the draught-pit may be made amply suilicient, its depth reduced to the most desirable point and the draught-tube located in the middle vertical plane of said pit.

This invention permits these conditions to be present in all cases, including those in which, asA shown in Figure 4:, the width ot' the penstock permits the turbine to be located in the middle vertical plane thereof, and this is accomplished by the simple expedient ot arranging the penstock and draught-pit out of alignment wit-h each other or, in other words, to extend slightly angularly relatively to each other. This relative arrangement affords aA wide range .ot flexibility to meet every exigency presented in plants of this character and affords turther advantages which, in many instances, etlect enormous savings in cost ot constructtion. i

T he exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings constitute only a few ot the many that may be designed to best meet 'the conditions ot each case. Thus, in the embodiment shown in Figure l, which is a multiple unit plant, wherein all penstocks are ot equal width` and similarly all draught-- pits, which would not necessarily7 be true ot many other plants, the angularity of the draught-pits is suoli as to project the water toward the middleI of the stream and in some instances, as where a rocky bank opposes the discharge end portion opt the penstock or penstocks, this angularity would ohviate blastingT and excavation o't' this bank tor a considerable. dist-ance, and, in other instances, as where the dam spans a sharp bend in the stream, the water delivered 'trom the draught-pits will be caused to follow substantially the natural direction of the liow ot vthe stream.

`While the draught-pits cover a greater area than the penstocks, the cost ot' construciou is much less than that of deeper excavation and smaller area..

Figures l and 6 show, respectively, ditterent relative arrangements oit penstocks and draught-tubes with respect Vto the dam and shore line and serve to indicate the extent ot lflexibility of embodiment ot the invention to meet the conditions presented in various installations without, however, lixing limits ot flexibility', and. similarly, Figures l and et will serve to indicate the flexibility of embodiment with respect to relative widths ot penstocks and draught-pits and location of turbines in the former without interfering with the location of the. draughttubes midway between the side walls ot the draught-pits.

The structure of Fig. 6 is identical with that of Fig. l in every respect in so far as the portion of the dam embodying the invention is concerned, the only difference ly- Each ot the penstocks 2 is, preferably,

divided at the intake end into two parts or sluices 2 and 2, respectively, separated` from each other rby the partition wall 2C to thereby provide relatively narrow sluices each controllable independently ot the other by sluice gates 2, this detail ot construction being` old in the art and constituting no part of the present invention.

l claim as my invention l. In a hydraulic power plant, a penstock or turbine Hume, a turbine therein having a vertical axis of rotation laterally ot'fset from the vertical plane ot the middle ot said Hume, and a draught-pit below said turbine tlume extending angularly relatively thereto and having` its middle vertical plane disposed to substantially intersect the axis of rotation ot said turbine.

2. ln a hydraulic power plant, a nenstock or turbine flume and a draught or discharge pit disposed at respectively different elevations, the discharge end of the former discharging" into the intake end of the latter. said drang-ht or discharge pit being; ot greater width than the turbine tlume and extendingangularly relatively thereto. a turbine havingl a vertical axis ot rotation mounted in the communicating portions ot' said thune and pit and having` its axis ot' rotation oliset laterally from the vertical plane ot the middle of said penstock or turbine lume and substantially in the middle.. vertical plane ot the draught or discharge pit.

3. In a hydraulic power plant, a penstock or turbine flume. a vertical .axis turbine in the discharge end portion thereof havingI its axis otiset laterally Jfrom the middle vertical plane or" said flume, and a draught-pit or discharge thune comn'iunicatinn with the discharge end portion ot' said penstock or tui'- bine thune and extending' angularly to the said middle vertical plane thereot and having its middle vertical plane substantially intersecting` the axis of said turbine.

Il. ln a hydraulic power plant, a penstock or turbine flume, a draught or discharge pit, the intake end portion of the latter disposed below the draught or discharge end portion ot the former and supporting the same, said discharge-pit being of greater width than said penstock or turbine fiume, a turbine in the latter having; a vertical Aaxis of rotation offset laterally from the middle vertical plane thereof, the draught or discharge pit disposed relatively to the penstock or turbine flume so as to bring the middle thereof substantially coincident with the axis of the turbine.

5. In a hydraulic power plant, a penstock` or turbine flume and a draught or dischargepit, the intake end of the latter supporting the discharge end portion of the former and communicating therewith, a turbine inounted in the discharge end portion et the penstocl; or turbine fiume and oiig'set laterally from the middle vertical plane thereor", the axis ot rotation of said turbine being disposed substantially midway between the side walls ot the draught or discharge pit, the latter being orp greater width than the penstoel; or turbine thune and disposed out of alignment therewith.

6. In a hydraulic power plant, a draught or discharge-pit and a penstoclr or turbine flume, the former arranged above the latter and having its discharge end portion supported upon the intake end portion of the draught or discharge pit, the discharge end portion of said penstocl'or turbine fiume presenting` a semi-cylindrical end-wall, a vertical turbine disposed eccentrically of said end-wall, the intake end portion of the draught or discharge-pit presenting` an endwall having every portion thereoic disposed at least as tar from the axis or" the turbine as the nearest adjacent points in the side walls thereof are disposed therefrom and having both said side-walls disposed substantially equidistantly from said axis, the distance ot said side-wallsl trom the axis of said turbine being substantially equal to the distance between the farthest removed side-wall of the turbine flume from the axis oi the turbine.

7. In a hydraulic power plant, a draughtpit, a turbine disposed with its axis equidistant from both side-walls thereof, a penstocl or turbine fiume disposed above the draught-pit and supported at its discharge end portion upon the intake end portion of the latter, one side-wall of the turbine fiume being as far removed from the turbine axis as are the side-walls of the draughtpit, and the other side-wall ot the turbine liuine being more closely approximate the said turbine axis.

8. In a hydraulic power plant, a penstock or turbine flume and a draught or discharge pit, the latter of greater width than the former and arranged below and in supporting relation thereto, a turbine mounted in the penstock or turbine flume and disposed laterally ot' the middle thereof with its axis disposed in the middle of the draught or discharge pit the latter extending angularly to the penstock or turbine `liume and having` the plane ot the inner face of one side wall there-ot intersecting the similar planeet the inner face ot the side-wall of the penstock or turbine flume at a point rearward, and the similar planes of the other sidewalls intersecting at a point forward of the plant, a plurality of penstocls or turbine riuines disposed side by side, adjacent tiumes being separated from each other by a single wall', a turbine disposed in each ot said tiumes offset trom the middle vertical plane thereof, a draught or discharge-pit asso-V ciated with eachpenstock or turbine flume and of greater1 width than the latter, the axes ot the turbine being disposed in the middle vertical planes ot the respective draught or discharge pit. l0. ln a hydraulic power plant a penstock or turbine-flume and a draught-pit associated therewith, the latter ot' greater Vwidth than the former, the side-walls of said thune and pit angular-ly intersecting each other, a vertical turbine associated with said flume and said pit, said turbine being located with its axis ot rotation substantially in the middle vertical plane ot the draught-pit.

ll. ln a hydraulic power plant adapted for a vertical turbine, a penstock or turbine liuinc, a draught or discharge pit disposed below the same and communicating at one end with one end ot said penstock or turbine tlume, said thune and pit angularly disposed relatively to each other and the former supported at its discharge end upon the intake end of said pit, the latter o'l' greater width than the said thune, the relative arrangement of said thune and pit being such that a vertical turbine may be disposed with its axis of rotation intersecting the middle vertical plane of the draught pit without limitation to its similar location with respect to the middle vertical plane of said flume.

l2. ln a multiple unit hydraulic power plant, a plurality otl penstocks or turbine lumes arranged side by side, contiguous tluines separated troni each other by a wall common to both, and a draught pit associated with each ot the said fhunes, said draught-pits being similarly arranged and extending angularly ot the said iiumes and each thereof being ot' greater width than the flume with which itis associated.

aar u. HOLLAND.

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